Chainless continuous-fabric steamer.



No. 657,362. Patented Sept. 4, |900. E. A. RUSDEN.' CHAINLESS GQNTINUUS FABRIC STEAMEB.

Appncmn med new. 14, um.` Renewed Juli: so, woo.)

(No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet l.

TH: Norms Psx-:ns a., nom-urna., wAsHmmou, ra c.

No. 657,362. Patentedsept. 4, |900. E. A. nusnEN.

CHAINLESS CONTINUOUS FABRIC STEAMER. (Application led Dec. 14, 1899. Renewed July 30, 1900.)

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

TH: nofws Pftns co. Pblomumo.. wAsmNaroN. n. c.

"NiTED STATES PATENT rrics.

'ETHELBERT A. RUSDEN, oF' WAaREN,RHoDE1sLANi.

CHAINLESS CONTINUOUS-FBRIC STEAM ER.`

`SPECIFI,C ATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 657,362, dated SeptemberI 4, 1900. Appiiee'sen hea Deeeliib'e'r 14,1899. Renewed July 30, 1900. sesei fue. 26,338. die meer.)

d'0 dZZ whom t may concern: i

Be it knownthatl, ETHEnBER'r A. RUSDEN,

a citizen of the United States, residing at` linen, silk, or paper; but it ismore particul 1 p opening in. the wall as others enter at the oplarly adapted for treating lprinted cloths and similar colored textile fabrics. .In the prior apparatus of this nature endless chainsand the feed mechanisms for conveying the clothsupporting rods from one end to the other are arranged entirely Within the chambers, where they are exposed to the action of steam and hot gases and are concealed from the observation of the attendants. During the process of steaming large quantities of chlorin and other deleterious gases are freed, and these attack and cause a rapid deterioration of the interior xturems andare especially destructive of moving parts that are subject to fricf tion. 1f by wear or from other causes the interior feeding mechanisms become disarranged or the rods get out of pitch or become jammed, it is not known until an accident occurs or the goods being treated, of` which there may be many thousands of yards in the chamber, show damage, and ,then it becomes necessary to stop the apparatus for hours until it is sufficiently cooled down to permit of opening for` inspection, readj usting, or repairs.

The object of the present invention isto so construct and arrange the cloth-supports and the feed mechanisms when building the apparatus of this class that the endless chains are dispensed with and all of the feeding mechanisms are located outside of the steam-l ing-chamber, whereby a saving of power for ruiming is eected, a rapid feeding is permitted, a continuous .Operation insured, the du-n .chamber and are reciprocated by mechanisms the tubes. Fig. 2 shows a plan of the parts rability increased, the cost of building rell duced, and the liability of damaging the goods lessened. In the apparatus illustrated the cloth-supports are tubes; and these are al 55 lowed to roll down an inclined opening at the inlet end of the apparatus, from the bottom of which opening they are one by one at the proper, time, by the backward movement of plungers, let into the chamber and by the 6o forward movement of the plungers advanced so as to cause the beginning of a loop of fab ric that is being fed into the chamber. The plungers extend through the walls of the located outside, and the tubes after traveling the entire length of the chamber down an in-A clined way pass out one by one through an posite end. The mechanisms for driving the fabric-feeding rolls and the mechanisms for reciprocating the plungers are connected so that the operations of feeding the fabric and 1 wall removed and sections of the end walls broken away to show t-he method of feeding 8o shown in Fig. l with portions broken away to facilitate comprehension of the mechanisms, and Fig. 3 showsa sectional view, on larger scale, of the upper part of theinlet end of the chamber.

The complete chamber, which is usually built of brick,' and the perforated pipes or-V dinarily placed at the bottom of the chamber for supplying air, steam, or other suite able gas or vapor arenot illustrated, for they are of ordinary construction and arrange.- ment and are not necessary toan ,understanding of the present improvement.

The roof of the chamber is formed of common hollow` plates `l, that are heated by steam to prevent moisture from collecting and dripping onto the goods in the chamber. This roof at oneendis provided with a suitable opening 2, Fig. 3, for the entrance of the fabric, and located parallel with this trans-y.Y roo verse opening are the cloth-feeding rolls 3. e e

. ing againstthe,stationary 13011. Beneath,

- cloth i-ntothe'chamber, Eig. f2.) i 3o The fabric-supports are preferablyf'brass ends. An linclined. passage 22 Sis 'fior-medb'elthe frames'that are rfnonntednpon thelrcof of the chamber near the opposite sidesof one.

end. It is preferred that the boxes :for onreroll be held from movement in one direction the ways, are connected by links 7 with aufy 15, `that .extendstransverselywbeve rthe froof 18, fixed tothe shaftis. By meanslofthese struoted; but when the plungers arehb'kithef ehttmbefr. Orankst uds 34, iprhj eetia'ng from; Worm-w heels Y 35, 4:e'mtend through slots :in the 'rocker-farms. Theworm-Wheelsfarefmountedi boxes 4, loosely placed-iu Ways 5,.formed1in`.

by the endsof thefframe, while the'b'oxes for the otherro'll, xvifhieh boxes are movable'alongV gle-levers 8. ,'llh'e outer ends of 'theseflevers;` are `provided with weights .9,Whiehfserveto keep the levers, with the movable roll, pre`ss` these rolls cams l0 are mounted upon `a shaft ll, and this's'haft `may be :provided Withfaji hand-wheel l2, which when rotated turns the' movable 'frolfl awwy from thestatiouary froh, 1 Fig. 3. l Y j A Fa'stenedgto theouterf'endfof rt'he `feted-roll shafts a're 2internieshing gears llflfand 'meshing `withone of :these "is VAa :gear V14"on a Shaiit of `the vehambeur iandY fat one end fbearsfa sprocket-wheel 116. A olainfl7ipasseslajround`; the sprocket-'wheel 1'6 and-fa sprocket-Whelan sprocket-Wheels,'=ohains, andgears ithe feed-l rolls are rotated together ffor passing fthe;

tubes 20, 'with lcol-lars '2l 'fastenedfdn'ith' the guide'ways v26, yare Iplningers 127; VVilrlieng these plungersaneifo-rward,rthe opexirrgfsfifom; the lower ends -of 'the `guideWaJ-ys 26 iaref'ob-il oollarsnnay pass y'from fthel guideways 26 'nto' the :guideways zyformed bars'fat'taeh'edKto5 the side walls of ith-:e :chamber "infeposition Kto receive the eoilarsron tneendsof ith'e'itu'bes. 'lhe'guid-ew'ays 28 fslope do vvnf'w'ardly froultli'e;

where there is a-door 29, whiohfopensftopor-i init the4 tubes to -pass outvontothe brazke-t's the chamber,f-Fi'gfl.4 The outer'fendslofith plu hgeis areconnected to Kthe fuppe'rfends rocker-arms 1311, the lower ends lof Wh-iha are mounted on i-:shaft 32,-supported1fby .th

ways .128.

Y onfstu'ds ontheoutside ofr each of thefframs k33133)(1l njesh -Wi'th Worms 36,- thev shafts of which` beanbevel-gearsy 3.7, in mesh with whichV vare ibevel-gearsSS', that are mounted upon fthe shaftl9, that vextends vtransversely of the .-rapparatus, Fig.3. Y `'Irheshaft 19V-bears a driving-pulley 39, 'and it is 'conneot'ed by the sprocket-chain 17 vwith the shaft 15, andwhen theshht 119 is rotated theroeker-arms,through vrthe gears, worms, and worm-wheels, reciproate the plnn gers. At the same time, through lthe sprocket wheels and vchain, the' fabrierollsvvill feed :the fabric into the chamber.

loosely cneited' "With Lthe front end of f eaehfplunger is a yoke 40, the shank of whieh .is,by means of 'aipna'ndlslot,'honneoted-with theserwazll fofthe chamber. *W hen theip'i unf gers -aredrawfn baehwardiheyqkes stand, as illustrated lbyfthe :dotted ilfnes ein Fig. 3, ih

ffron ofitheendsieffthe plunger-s beneath the 'open ugs atfthe fb'ttomlof theguidewwy's 126. When tle parts zare in these p'ositions, 'one tubemay drop down into th'eyokes ih FE1-ont of #the piangere. When V`the plungers move beehzprevfiouslzyfed yfofrvvard .andadvan-cerall ofithembeszth the dew hwardrly-'slopihgzgui ue- Iffhis `forces the Y.wheat vurefeutlet ehdarf the 4e'hath-beh #through :the :averse-onto just :ensei-:eu fifnto :position ftsoieause the fabric fbeingjifed :in to ff'fo'rm another Joop. p W file draw'nfoutffat @the other end of the chamber 'through fthe idoors A4l 'by lthe bommen 'meehartisans. l

"Mounted 'ilooselyupon a'stnd projeoti'ugi'n- 'warmly from feaeh side-of the Echamber :isla pwwlfm. These '-rpawls -`'are soar-ranged `that 'atu l may be ffreeily ,passed runder them by the 'p1un=gers;. ibut VV:thewfengage with fthe 1@0'1- from :moving ebdielewardf Vwhen the 'pluhgers "allie drawn back for pernI-itting .the entrance mmm-,ed upoin ashaft45,ithat1rs hel'd/byibloe'ks fadjusteblylattaehed `te 'the'isi'de wall-s of Ethe theifabre )from slipping A'down.thewrong 'side of vCthe tubew'h'enfanew-loopis lbeing foi-uned, Fig. 3.

vent 'more than lone'ftubeaat atime from 'pass- .llhe tension :of each Shar ima'yb'e IOO IIO

chamber they may `=bge lremi-mm1ft'efthe `eppositeend-byialuyrsuitablemeans. l

let end, no endless chain is necessary, and but little poweris required to feed forward the entire row of tubes filled with many yards of fabric. The tubes, which pass in at the desired time, cannot get out of pitch nor become jammed inthe chamber.

I claim as my inventionl. An apparatus of the within-described' class having a chamber provided with a fabric-support inlet at one end and a fabric-supy port outlet at the opposite end with` guideways for the supports declining from the inlet end to the outlet endof the chamber, sub-V stantially as specified.

2. An apparatus of the within-described class having a chamber provided with a sloping fabric-support inlet-passage at one end and a fabric-support outlet at a lower level at the opposite end with guideways for the supports declining from the inlet end to the outlet end of the chamber, substantially as speciiied.

3. An apparatus of the within-described class having a chamber provided with a fabric-support inlet at one end and a fabric-support outlet at the opposite end with guideways for the supports declining from the in'- let end to the outlet end of the chamber, plungers for advancing the supports arranged to permit the entrance of a support when drawn outwardly and to obstruct the support-inlet when pushed inwardly, and mechanisms for reciprocating the plungers, substantially as specified.

4. An apparatus of the within-described class having a chamber provided with a fabric-support inlet at one end and a fabric-support outlet at the opposite end with guideways for the supports declining from the inlet end to the outlet end of the chamber, plungers for advancing the supports extending lthrough the walls of the chamber and arranged to permit the entrance of a support when drawn outwardly and to obstruct the support-inlet when pushed inwardly, and

mechanisms located Without the chamber for reciprocating the plungers, substantially as specified.

5. An apparatus of the within-described class having a chamber provided witha fabric-support inlet at one end and a fabric-support outlet at the opposite end, guideways for the supports declining from the inlet end to the outlet end of the chamber, plungers for advancing the supports arranged to permit the entrance of a support when drawn outwardly and to obstruct the support-inlet when pushed inwardly, yokes attached to and mechanisms for reciprocating the plungers, substantially as specified.

6. An apparatus of the within-described class having-a chamber provided with a fabric-support inlet at one end and a fabric-support outlet Vat the opposite end, guideways for the supports declining from the inlet end toV the outlet end of the chamber, plungers for advancing the supports arranged to permit the entrance of a support when drawn outwardly and to obstruct the support-inlet when pushed inwardly, pawls located adjacent to the ends of the guideways to prevent any rearward movement of the supports when the plungers are drawn backwardly, and mechanisms for reci-procating the plungers substantially as specified.

7. An yapparatus of the within-described class having a chamber with a fabric-support inlet at one end and a fabric-support outlet at the opposite end with guideways for the supports declining from the inlet end to the outlet end of the chamber, plungers for ad- Y vancing the supports arranged to permit the entrance of a support when drawn outwardly and to obstruct the support-inlet when pushed inwardly, mechanisms for reciprocating the plungers, and a shield with its lower edge adapted to rest upon the tube last advanced by the forward movement of the plungers,

outwardly and to obstruct the support-inlet when pushed inwardly, mechanisms for reciprocating the plungers, and springs located adjacent to the guideways at theoutlet end of the chamber and arranged to bear down upon the supports, substantially as specified.

9. An apparatus of the within described class having a chamber provided with a fabric-support inlet at one end and a fabric-support outlet at the opposite end with guideways for the supports extending from the inlet end to the outlet end of the chamber, plungers extending through a wall of the chamber for advancing the supports and arranged to permit the entrance oi' a support when drawn outwardly and to obstruct the supporti-inlet when p ushed inwardly,rockerarms connected with the outer ends of the plungers, crankpins for oscillating the rocker-arms, and gearing for revolving the crank-pins,substantially as specified.

IOO

IIO

. 10. An apparatus of the within-described class having a chamber provided with a fabric-support inlet at one end and a fabric-sup-A port outlet at the opposite end with guideways for the supports declining from the inlet end to the outlet end of the chamber, open- 

